Never bet on a Malfoy
by Lady Lizzie
Summary: What would you do when you're turning 25? Invite a wizard of course!
1. Default Chapter

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Harry Potter characters, they belong to J.K. Rowling. I don't earn any money out of writing this.  
  
**A/N:** I've got a load of people to thank here. This fic wouldn't be what it is now if it wasn't for their help. First of all, I want to thank my Beta-team, Smitten, Jaxie and Whibbles. Thanks ladies, you've been great! I want to thank Corri for helping me out with the names. A huge thanks goes to Mark who has given me advice to create the characters personalities. Last but not least, a thanks to Luciusfan who has giving me the permission to use the tattoo she designed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The Three Broomsticks was filled with people and various other creatures. At a table at the right side of the room, next to the window, sat three people roaring with laughter over some joke one of them had just told. Dahlia was one of them. She was a pureblood witch with long blond hair that reached just beyond her shoulders.  
  
It was Saturday night and Dahlia and her friends were celebrating her twenty-fifth birthday. And on those occasions, one is entitled to have some fun.  
  
"Well Dahlia, now that you've reached the age of 25, I sincerely hope that you'll finally settle down with a respectable wizard instead of luring every man you meet into your bed," Eris said.  
  
Dahlia snorted and burst out in laughter at this remark. "Come on Eris, you make it sound like I'm some sort of slut," she said to her friend.  
  
Eris didn't reply to that but cast a disapproving look at Dahlia. Sure, they were friends but that didn't mean that she approved of everything Dahlia did.  
  
Dahlia was the sort of witch that was really complacent and knew that her looks were all she needed to get what she desired. She didn't even need magic.  
  
"You've lost your charms anyway," Madeira said as she tried to get her breath back from laughing.  
  
"I have not! I'll bet you that I can get the first wizard that walks through the door between the sheets," Dahlia said.  
  
"It's a deal Dahlia! How much money do you owe us if you don't succeed? Shall we say, a thousand Galleons each?" Madeira said.  
  
Dahlia thought about this for a moment. Surely, she had only been joking at first but, now that she was thinking of it, why shouldn't she try? As Eris had said, she had slept with numerous wizards just to have some fun. Although her family was rich, two thousand Galleons was a lot of money. She made up her mind; she was going to do it. Now all that she hoped was that it would be a decent wizard that walked through the door, not some shabby creature.  
  
"Okay, I'll do it. But I'll need a place that I can go to. I can't take him home with me, we're having visitors," Dahlia said.  
  
"You can have my apartment as long as you promise to clean up and don't drink all my whiskey. I'll stay at Raidon's place, I'm sure he won't mind," Madeira said.  
  
Dahlia nodded and Madeira gave her the keys to her apartment. Eris suddenly gasped as the door opened and a wizard with long blonde hair walked in. Dahlia sat with her back towards the door so she couldn't see who it was.  
  
"Don't look back, Dahlia, but your date just walked in," Eris said. Although she didn't like the idea, she had a hard time trying to suppress a giggle.  
  
"Who is it, Eris? Tell me!" Dahlia said eagerly.  
  
"It is Mister Lucius Malfoy himself. The most sexiest wizard to walk this planet," Madeira said with a grin.  
  
"By Merlin, you've got to be kidding me. Lucius Malfoy? I can't do this, our families know each other very well," Dahlia said sounding a little bit worried.  
  
"So Dahlia, are you a chicken after all? You've made the bet, you can't get out of it anymore," Madeira said with a smile.  
  
"I know," Dahlia replied. She drained the full content of her fire whiskey. "What is he doing now?"  
  
"He just walked up to the bar. Now is your chance Dahlia, he looks a bit bored," Madeira said.  
  
Dahlia stood up and took a few deep breaths. She smiled a last time at her friends before she walked over to the bar where Lucius was standing. She purposefully stood next to him and ordered three shots of fire-whiskey. He turned towards her.  
  
"Good evening Miss Dahlia, you and your friends seem to be having a lot of fun," he said nodding towards the table where her friends sat.  
  
"Oh, good evening Mister Malfoy. Well, _they_ have a lot of fun, yes," she replied, rolling her eyes.  
  
"They -- are you not enjoying yourself then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"In my opinion, Mister Malfoy, they're behaving like a bunch of drunk teenage Muggles," she sighed.  
  
Lucius snorted at her remark. "So you think pureblood families such as ours cannot enjoy themselves?" he asked as a grin spread on his face.  
  
"Of course we do, Mister Malfoy but in more mature matters or a bit more ... private situations," she said.  
  
Dahlia suddenly took a step towards Lucius and placed a long kiss upon his cheek. She stood on her toes and whispered into his ear, "Maybe you could entertain a lonely soul on her birthday" She tentatively touched his earlobe with her tongue before she turned around and rejoined her friends.  
  
Malfoy paid for his drink, took his cane and left the pub. Once outside, he took something out of his robes. He had felt it when she had slid her hand in his pocket before she turned away from him. It was a small business card with an address and her name on it.  
  
"And?" Eris asked when Dahlia returned to the table. Her curiosity and excitement had won over the disapproval of her friend's actions.  
  
"And what?" Dahlia said teasingly. "Well, we had some small talk, I gave him a card with the address on it and teased him a bit."  
  
"Then what are you still doing here? Go on before you miss him!" Madeira said.  
  
Dahlia drained her glass, took her purse and gave her friends a goodbye kiss. Eris shouted 'good luck' but the door was slammed shut before she could finish her sentence.  
  
As soon as she was outside, Dahlia started to run to the apartment. Apperating wouldn't be of any use since it was only five blocks down. Besides she could use some extra exercise.  
  
A few minutes later, she arrived at the apartment, panting slightly. She took the key and unlocked the door. When the door opened, she gasped at what she saw.


	2. Chapter 2

The entire apartment was one big mess. "It looked like someone had dumped a truckload of garbage in here," Dahlia said in a disgusted tone. Empty cans and pizza boxes criss-crossed the kitchen floor and half a wardrobe worth of clothes covered the sofa.

Dahlia had never been able to master the household spells but then she never tried to. Who would want to clean up when you've got a house-elf to do it?

"O blimey, now I've got to clean it like a filthy Muggle," she sighed.

With those words, she put her purse and robe away and started to pick up the trash, stuffing it all into a garbage bag. _Madeira will have to sort it out herself_, Dahlia thought as she shoved two bags into the storage room. At least the bedroom wasn't in too bad a state. She only had to change the sheets.

Now that everything was neatly cleaned, she smiled contently to the empty living room before she strode of to the bathroom for a quick shower.

After the refreshing shower, Dahlia carefully dressed. Luckily, Madeira was about the same size so that wasn't a problem. Her friend had good taste and spent more time shopping than sleeping.

Dahlia felt a jolt of triumph when she spotted the perfect dress that would have the desired effect. It was a dark blue silk dress. It was low cut in the back, had no sleeves and showed enough cleavage to drive any man mad – _certainly such a virile man as Lucius Malfoy_, she mused when she looked herself over in the mirror.

She went to the bedroom to make sure she hadn't missed any details. She looked up and was rather pleased with what she saw in the mirror that was attached to the ceiling right above the bed. She smiled at her reflection and returned to the living room where she sat down in a comfortable armchair near the fireplace. Dahlia stared into the flames and it didn't take long before she dozed off.

A crackle in the fire had awoken her. She yawned noisily and stretched out like a cat, shaking away the sleep from her body.

"I dared to assume that you had something more…interesting planned to celebrate your birthday."

Dahlia gasped and looked around to locate the owner of the voice. In the far corner of the room, she spotted a tall figure. The person stood motionless in the shadow but a glint of light from the fire shone upon the small, silver snakehead atop of the cane he was holding.

"Good evening Mister Malfoy and welcome," Dahlia said as she rose from her seat and strode to where Lucius was standing.

"According to Belgian traditions, you owe the birthday girl three kisses," Dahlia said as she stopped mere inches from Lucius.

"That's very interesting," he replied, "but according to French tradition, it's four kisses."

Lucius bent his head and gave Dahlia the kisses she deserved. Just as he was about to give her the fourth kiss on her cheek, she slightly turned her head towards him so that their lips met.

"Can I offer you something to drink?" she asked when she broke off the kiss.

"A red wine if you happen to have it," he answered coolly as if nothing had happened.

"I hope you can appreciate this Vin de Merlot, imported from France," Dahlia said as she returned, carrying two magnificent crystal wine glasses.

"Please, Mister Malfoy, make yourself comfortable," Dahlia said as she gestured towards the armchairs at the fireplace.

"Dahlia, you may call me Lucius. We are hardly strangers anymore. I've known you since you first attended Hogwarts, fourteen years ago," he said as he took the glass from her hand and sat down on the chair opposite hers.

He put his cane down on the floor next to him and slowly removed his black leather gloves. Dahlia followed every single move he made. Her hunger for her prey grew rapidly but she knew very well that she had to be careful if she wanted to win this bet.

"May I ask why you've decided to come here after all Mister… sorry… Lucius," she corrected herself when she saw the warning in his eyes. "You didn't seem to eager when I invited you in the Three Broomsticks."

"I thought you would understand Dahlia. A public place like that has many unwelcome listeners who could miss-interpret these things. I wouldn't want Narcissa to hear any nasty lies and I'm sure your parents wouldn't appreciate it either," Lucius said.

"Of course. You're right Lucius. I think my father would throw me out like an ordinary house-elf," Dahlia said.

"Why did you invite me? You must have more… mature friends you can celebrate your birthday with?" Lucius asked.

"Sure, but they are rather dull. They take life too serious and I want to enjoy my life as much as I can. Actually, I hadn't exactly planned to invite you. Let's just say it was a hint of inspiration," she replied.

"But why such an 'old' man like me?" Lucius asked. He really didn't know why she had chosen him to join her.

After all, he was just an acquaintance of the family and had known Dahlia since she was a little girl. When he came to think about it, she still was a little girl who wanted to act like an adult but didn't succeed too well at it.

"You're not old Lucius. I rather see you as an interesting man with a life full of experiences," Dahlia replied as she sipped from her wine.

"Besides, the Malfoy family has always interested me," Dahlia said as she rose and slowly strode towards Lucius like a snake ready to catch its prey.

She leaned forward and placed her hands on either side of the armchair allowing him to have a great view of her cleavage. Instead what she had hoped for, Lucius didn't seem to pay any attention to that but kept looking into her eyes. She closed the remaining space between them and tentatively brushed his nose with her lips.

Since she still wasn't getting the slightest reaction from him, she pulled herself up to full height and looked down on him as she drained the remaining contents of her glass.

"And Draco is a bit young for me, don't you agree?" Dahlia said.

She didn't wait for a reply to that question, simply turned on her heel and slowly walked towards the door. Dahlia blew a kiss at Lucius just before she strode out of the room and into the bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter is R-rated for sex. 

Lucius was left behind in his chair and was composing himself. He pondered about everything that had happened that evening and especially about Dahlia's actions. He came to the conclusion that her playfulness wasn't childish after all but a well thought out act of seduction. So the little girl he had assumed he'd find here had grown up. He had noticed this earlier on but wanted to be completely sure before he made any advances in case he was mistaken.

Lucius wasn't the kind of man to walk out on a woman that was clearly so ready for him. He lingered in his seat for a few more minutes before he stood up and followed her into the bedroom. 'Patience builds character,' he thought and smirked

She was standing in front of the king-sized bed and felt a bit nervous. Lucius hadn't moved one inch, he just sat there, and not one emotion did she see on his face. Now she really started to worry. She would be facing a lot of problems if she had to explain to her parents where all that money went. Maybe Madeira was right; maybe she had lost her charms? And what would happen if Lucius told her family what she had tried to do? Seducing and playing with young wizards was one thing, but doing this with Lucius Malfoy, a wizard that her family highly respected, was another thing. Dahlia looked up at her reflection in the enormous mirror on the ceiling, straightened her back and shook her head. _This has to work_, she thought. There were still a lot of tricks she could play.

Dahlia gasped softly as she felt Lucius' hand on her shoulder. She sighed in relief and felt the heat radiating from his body. Lucius took a step closer and Dahlia smiled to herself as she felt that he was ready for her, his body pressing close to hers. He bent his head and kissed her shoulder where his hand just had been. Moving very slowly and calculatingly, he slid the straps of her dress down her shoulders. She moved her arms slightly, allowing her dress to fall onto the ground. Dahlia wanted to turn around and see his face but he grabbed her shoulders.

"Don't move and let me do all the work, birthday girl," he whispered in her ear.

She nodded in conceit and was very pleased when he kissed her ear. He worked his way down her neck to her shoulders, leaving a trail of kisses as he went. Dahlia moaned out of displeasure when she felt him stop. She carefully glanced over her shoulder and was pleased to see that he was removing his robes till he was only clad in his breeches. Now that a few layers of clothing were gone, she could clearly feel his eagerness when he pressed his body against her.

His hand travelled down until it came to rest on her breast, teasing her nipple with his fingers. A moan of pleasure escaped from her mouth as she arched under his exploring touch. He buried his face in the delicate skin of her neck as he took a deep breath, memorizing her enchanting scent.

Lucius' hand went down even further and reached the band of her red silk underwear. His fingers gingerly went under the soft fabric and cupped her sex. She rested her head on his shoulder and grabbed his breeches to keep her balance. She placed one foot on the side of the bed, opening herself up for him. Lucius followed the lead and slid one finger inside her, quickly followed by the second while his thumb teased her clit. She felt her climax building as he thrust his fingers faster inside her. Then all of a sudden, he stopped and withdrew his hand from her panties.

"Why did y…," Dahlia started to ask but Lucius swallowed the rest of her question when his lips came down on her mouth.

"Be quiet and enjoy," he whispered in her ear.

He took her hand and guided her onto the bed. She placed herself in the ocean of pillows and watched him as he swiftly removed the rest of his clothes. Now naked, Lucius crawled upon the bed and took off her underwear. He placed his fingers on her ankles and let them travel up, closely followed by his eyes. When he reached her knees, he pushed them wide open. Lucius shifted his position so that he was sitting in front of her, his hands on either side of her head. With one fierce thrust, he was deep inside her. She wrapped her legs around him and locked her feet behind his back as her hands clutched his shoulders. Her hips moved in rhythm with his thrusts. Dahlia closed her eyes as her climax once more was building in her while Lucius increased his pace.

She cried out his name when she came. He thrust one last time deep inside her and groaned as his orgasm came upon him as well. As he collapsed upon her body, his head next to hers, she unlocked her legs and opened her eyes. It was then for the first time she saw in the mirror, the two intertwined snakes tattooed on his lower back.

Dahlia opened her eyes the next morning and smiled to herself when she saw the still sleeping form of Lucius Malfoy next to her. He lay on his back, his head turned away from her. The pale skin of his bare chest and the crimson sheets formed a nice contrast. Dahlia observed him for a while, gazing at him while she was propped up on her elbow. This was all too good to be true. In order to test that she wasn't dreaming this, she reached out and carefully touched his upper chest. Since Lucius didn't seem to react to her touch, she moved her hand savouring his soft skin. She continued her exploration of his upper body and played with his right nipple, caressing it softly with her fingers. Her eyes travelled down his body and she stiffed a giggle when she noticed the bulge rising in the sheets.

"Well good morning Mister Malfoy," Dahlia said softly when she managed to steady her voice.

"Do you always wake your lovers like this?" he asked as he turned his head to look at her.

"Only my special ones," she replied, then lowered her head to tease his nipple with her tongue.

A moan escaped his throat but he suddenly sat up and swung his legs out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Dahlia asked. She wondered if it was anything she did or didn't do.

"I'm going to take a shower. I don't really like the commingled scents that have been brought about by our little interaction," he replied with a small smile on his face.

"Actually, I love the smell of your sweat on my skin," Dahlia said.

Lucius didn't say anything to that. He smiled at her before he turned around and walked towards the bathroom. He suddenly stopped in his tracks and said: "It would be a shame to let all the water go to waste." With those last words he disappeared.

"I hate to see you leave but I love to see you go," Dahlia whispered as she admired Lucius' bare bottom before she slid out of bed and followed him into the bathroom. ****

When she entered the bathroom, she found him in the shower, his long blonde hair lying in wet streaks over his back. She stepped into the shower behind him and wrapped her arms around his chest. Dahlia took the bar of soap from his hands and began to wash his back. She started with his shoulders and gently massaged his back as she went down. When she reached the tattoo on his lower back, she traced the intertwined snakes with her fingers.

She was so entranced by the fine lines that she gasped when he suddenly turned around and was facing his rigid member. She looked up into his magnificent eyes and the small grin on his face was all the encouragement she needed. Dahlia placed her hands on his hips and took his member in her mouth, licking it from tip to base. She felt his hand in her hair to move her head in rhythm with his rocking hips. Just before he would spill himself in her mouth, he let go and pulled back.

He took her hands and helped her up against the wall. She wrapped one leg around him and locked it behind his bottom. Lucius took her buttocks in his hand and lifted her completely from the floor as he entered her. Dahlia wrapped her other leg around him and clutched his shoulders to hold her up. Her hips rocked in rhythm as he drove into her. She buried her face in his neck as she cried out his name again when she came. He continued his thrusts and came mere seconds later, a groan escaped him as well. They stood like this for a moment, catching their breath, before Dahlia unlocked her legs and he lowered her back onto the shower floor. With a last gentle kiss on his lips, she left the shower cubicle and walked to the kitchen in her bathrobe.

Dahlia dropped the cup of tea she held when she suddenly a woman screaming from inside the bathroom. Still on bare feet, she sped towards the bathroom and gasped at what she saw. Lucius was tying a towel around his waist with a disgruntled look on his face. Opposite him stood Madeira, her hand clapped over her mouth.

**A/N:** I've borrowed the line 'I love the smell of your sweat on my skin' from the song 'Breakfast in Vegas' from the Belgian group Pragha Kahn. The exact line is: I smell your sweat on my skin.


	4. Chapter 4

Dahlia looked from Lucius to Madeira and back. As soon as she had figured out what had happened she broke out in laughter.

"So you think this is funny?" Malfoy hissed at Dahlia.

Dahlia was not able to reply to that since she couldn't stop laughing and only nodded while she clutched her stomach.

"I – I'm sorry Mister Malfoy. This is just a terrible mistake," Madeira said.

Lucius was a handsome man; there was no arguing that. Finding him naked in the shower however, had left her speechless, something that normally didn't happen to Madeira. The shame she felt was clearly visible on her face.

Lucius' eyes narrowed and he lifted his chin as he exhaled noisily through his nose. Just as he was about to stride out of the room, Dahlia stopped laughing and stopped him by putting both her hands on his bare chest.

"Lucius, listen…" she started but the menacing look in his eyes made her withdraw her hands. She had played with him but she had never forgotten that she was dealing with a powerful wizard. As soon as Dahlia's hands were gone, Lucius passed by and went into the bedroom where he started dressing himself.

"Dahlia, look, I'm terribly sorry. I thought it was you in the shower. I didn't think that he would still be here," Madeira explained.

"It's okay Madeira. It really is. I'll just go talk to him," Dahlia said. She smiled at her friend but she felt a knot forming in her stomach. After all, she had to come up with a very plausible explanation for what Madeira was doing here.

When Dahlia entered the bedroom, Lucius was nearly dressed, his back turned towards her.

"Lucius, listen to me," Dahlia started again but he quickly turned around.

"You are in no position to command what I can or cannot do," he hissed at her.

Dahlia realized that words alone weren't enough to soothe him. She walked to her bedside table, took her wand out of the top drawer and went to stand in the doorway, blocking the only exit.

As Lucius had finished dressing, he walked over to the doorway, determined that Dahlia would get out of his way. He was only a few paces from her when she suddenly raised her wand.

"Dahlia, I advice you to think carefully before you act. I'm at least twice as powerful as you are," Lucius sneered.

"I know but may I remind you that I have the upper hand here? Your cane containing your wand is still in the other room where you left it last night. I can hex you before you can lay a finger on me," she said.

Lucius said nothing but simply crossed his arms over his chest. In Dahlia's opinion, this was a good sign. His facial expression showed that he was still utterly annoyed but it looked like he was prepared to listen.

"Good. Thank you. Like Madeira tried to explain, this is all a big misunderstanding. This is not my apartment - it's hers. I only lived here for a week since my parents have some important visitors from abroad and they needed my room. Madeira has been living with my brother Raidon to give me some privacy," Dahlia explained in a soft tone so as not to anger him even more.

"I-I didn't know that Dahlia had a guest, Mister Malfoy," came Madeira's voice from the bathroom door.

Lucius spun around and looked intently at her through narrowed eyes. It was very impolite to interrupt someone but there was not much he could do - or at least not just now. Dahlia had a warning look in her eyes but Madeira new very well what she would say. She had spent her time in the bathroom thinking it over and over.

"I just stopped by to invite Dahlia for breakfast. But since I couldn't find her in bed and heard the water running, I thought that she was in the shower. You both have the same hair colour so it was a mistake easily made," Madeira continued nervously.

"And you always open the shower door when your friend is in there," Lucius remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"For Merlin's sake, Lucius, we're best friends. We don't have secrets towards each other," Dahlia spoke. She had lowered her wand but remained in the doorway.

"Well, if you ladies will excuse me now. I have a meeting coming up," Lucius said.

This time, Dahlia let him pass. He had listened to them and seemed to have bought their lie. She followed him into the living room where he had fetched his cane and gloves. He was about to reach the front door when Dahlia said: "Lucius, wait"

"What now?" he growled as he turned around to face her.

"Truce?" she asked as she reached out her hand.

Lucius looked at it like it was something he trod in but shook it - although he squeezed her hand a little harder than necessary.

"For now," he said and left with a dramatic sweep of his robes, slamming the door behind him.

Dahlia sighed heavily and jumped a bit when she felt Madeira's hand on her shoulder. She turned around and the friends looked into each other's eyes. They kept looking at each other and soon burst out in laughter.

"By Merlin, Dahlia. I didn't know you could lie so well and you were so brave to Lucius Malfoy!" Madeira said.

"Come, Madeira. I'll make you some breakfast and I'll tell you all you want to know," Dahlia said with a smile as she took her friend by the arm and went into the kitchen.

With a simple flick of a wand and a mumbled 'Reparo', Dahlia fixed the broken cup and quickly cleaned the spilled tea.

"Now tell me, Dahlia. I'm in agony here! How is to have sex with the great Mister Malfoy?" Madeira said as she gestured Dahlia to sit down in the chair opposite hers.

The two friends spent the next couple of hours chatting like typical girls. Every little detail was revealed; even the intertwined snakes on his lower back but Madeira had seen them for herself.

"Madeira, what were you actually doing here?" Dahlia asked after a while.

"Raidon had to get up early and he was so nice to wake me up as well. After he left, I couldn't sleep anymore and thought I'd invite you for breakfast. That wasn't a lie in fact," Madeira answered.

The girls decided to enjoy the rest of the day by spoiling themselves and planned to spend their time shopping. Before they could head off to Diagon Alley, Dahlia had to go home to change clothes and pick up some things.

Once outside, Lucius had disapperated from the building. He was utterly annoyed by the way Dahlia had treated him. She knew him, thus she ought to know that she had to pay him a bit more respect then she had just done. That friend of hers had at least enough brains to address him properly. He had recognized her from the evening before in The Three Broomsticks and knew that her family was of pure blood too.

He apperated just outside the gates of Malfoy Manor and strode up the driveway towards the entrance. Lucius wasn't surprised to find the house empty except for the house-elves. Draco was still at Hogwarts and Narcissa probably hadn't returned from her own nightly adventures.

Lucius helped himself to a glass of firewhiskey and sat down in his favourite armchair by the fire in the drawing room, his feet resting on a footstool and his eyes fixed on the flames that danced in the fireplace. He had nearly dozed off when he suddenly screamed in agony and clutched his arm as he swore under his breath.


	5. Chapter 5

Lucius pulled up his sleeve and saw the outlines of the Dark Mark clearly burning into his skin. He threw his glass into the fire, which made the flames roar as they consumed the Firewhiskey. Lord Voldemort needed him and Lucius would have to pay dearly if he did not reply to his Lord's summons.

He picked up his cane and cloak on his way outside. Just like Hogwarts, Malfoy Manor was protected with various spells, which made apperating impossible. A safety precaution all the Death Eaters had used on their houses. Lucius strode out back into the morning sun and disapperated from the grounds with a loud crack.

Several hours later, Lucius was on his way to see the Rohart family. He actually didn't like the family but they were loyal servants of Lord Voldemort and he was sent there to discuss some important matters for an upcoming raid. Given that he'd had little sleep during the last night and had been awoken so abruptly, this mission made him utterly annoyed.

Lucius reached the mansion and tapped the door with the silver snakehead of his cane. A small female house-elf clad in a dirty cloth opened the door and bowed deeply.

"Show me to your master," Malfoy hissed.

"Yes, Mister Malfoy,' the creature squeaked.

Lucius followed her through the mansion. It was a stylish, immense, luxurious building, yet gaudy and a completely different interior than what Malfoy was used to.

As the house-elf was slowing down, Lucius kicked her so hard that she flew several feet further and landed on the thick carpet. She quickly scrambled back to her feet and continued on her way.

The house-elf stopped in front of big oak doors, located at the back of the Mansion.

"My master will be with you soon, Mister Malfoy," said the house-elf. She bowed deeply and ran off as quickly as she could.

As Lucius stepped closer, the doors swung open of their own accord, revealing an ornate drawing room with four dark green velvet armchairs by the fireplace. He took the liberty of seating himself in one of the chairs and waited for his host to arrive.

* * *

Dahlia pulled the door of her room shut behind her and magically sealed it to keep her parents out. It was still rather early and she hoped she and Madeira could sneak out of the house without anyone spotting her. They chose to go out through the backyard and so avoid passing the dining room where her parents would most likely be having breakfast.

Her hand had just touched the doorknob when she heard a voice calling her name. She slowly turned around to face her father.

"I would like an explanation from you, Dahlia" he said.

"An explanation for what?" Dahlia asked innocently.

"Don't try to play your tricks on me, Dahlia. They might work with your collection of boyfriends but I am your father. Where have you been all night?" he asked.

"Father, I've just turned twenty five. I've been celebrating my birthday!" she said.

"If you are going to lie to me, you'll have to come up with something better than this. You're not going to tell me that you've been celebrating on your own all night," her father said.

He kept his voice low and steady and that was a sign that he knew more. Dahlia realized that as well but her temper was rising so fast out of irritation for her father's inquiry that she couldn't control the volume of her own voice.

"I've been with Madeira all the time! For Merlin's sake, am I on trial here?" Dahlia screamed as she glanced to her friend in the hope she'd help her out.

"Dahlia, I've just told you that you shouldn't lie to me. Madeira was with Raidon all night," he said.

"You surprise me father, I didn't know you had a crystal ball," Dahlia hissed.

"I don't need such a thing to know what you've been doing. Your brother sent me an owl this morning and wrote that Madeira spent the night with him. Unless your friend has the ability to be at two places at the same time, you are lying to me and you know that I will not tolerate it," her father said.

Shit. She was going to have a serious discussion with her brother about keeping his mouth shut. What was she going to do now? She knew that her father always put his wand on the breakfast table, so she assumed that he was unarmed as well. But she couldn't hex her own father, even if she hated him so much now.

"Now tell me the truth Dahlia. What have you been up to? Fucking the brains out of another boy you found somewhere? I bet you dumped him when you grew tired of him? Is that it? Don't think you can keep that a secret from us!" he shouted.

The times that her father had raised his voice could be counted on one hand. At those moments however, he had been outraged and the consequences had been severe. Her parents knew small bits from her conquests. They had heard rumours but she never had the slightest idea that they knew this much or that they even believed the rumours. There was no easy way out of this so Dahlia decided to put up a fight. The battle was already lost before it began.

"No, I wasn't fucking just a boy actually. It was a marvellous wizard! Speaking of bets, I've won him fairly as a birthday present! He took me to heaven and back!" Dahlia screamed from the top of her lungs. "Twice!"

"Shut up! Spare me the details; I don't want to hear about it! You are a disgrace to this family! Your mother and I have always done everything that lay in our power to build the respect we deserve and you're not going to ruin the good name of this family!" her father shouted.

At that moment, a door behind him opened and Dahlia's mother appeared. "Darius, please! I heard you screaming all the way in the dining room. We have a guest remember?" her mother said.

"Fine! If I'm a disgrace for the family, then it might be better if I leave!" Dahlia said and turned her back to her parents. Just as she opened the door and was about to step out, she turned around. "By the way, he's got a gorgeous tattoo just above his perfect shaped arse and he's the best fuck I've ever had!" With those last words, she slammed the door shut and disapperated with Madeira as soon as they left the house.

Dahlia's mother, Ariana, walked toward her husband. He was shaking with rage now.

"Come on, Darius, let's finish our breakfast," Ariana said as she tried to calm her husband.

"No, it's no use. I've lost my appetite anyway," Darius hissed. "Ariana, what is to become of our daughter if she keeps on with this?"

"We'll sort that out later, go see to your guest now," Ariana said.

Darius sighed deeply and straightened his back. His wife gave him a little encouraging kiss on his lips before he attended his duties.

Just before he was about to open the doors to the room where his guest was waiting for him, he stopped. He took a deep breath to calm his temper and entered the room with a fake smile on his face. Darius saw his guest sitting in a chair near the fire and strode over to him.

"Welcome, Lucius."


	6. Chapter 6

Lucius arrived back in his Mansion and was furious. One of the house-elves that greeted him on his arrival had to pay the price. The poor creature had been thoroughly beaten and kicked by its master. It now bore the results for doing its job; a few broken ribs and some nasty cuts, but that was the life of a house-elf with the Malfoy family.

After taking some of his frustration out on the house-elf, Lucius sat down behind the desk in his study. He had gotten more information from Darius and Ariana than he could have hoped for. Lucius had played in on the row that had taken place in the hallway while he was waiting. He had heard every word of it and although his blood was boiling, he'd managed to sound concerned.

Cleverly chosen words and questions had taught him that Dahlia would probably be staying with her friend Eris as she had a few times before when situations went out of control. He didn't know the exact location of Eris' whereabouts but his contacts at the Ministry of Magic would probably be able to help out with that. Oh yes, Dahlia would pay a high price for playing around with Lucius Malfoy.

It had been a long day and when he got his revenge he wanted to have a clear head, so he stood up and walked towards his bedroom. He prepared himself for the night and never paid any attention to the sleeping Narcissa in his bed.

****

* * *

Eris nearly jumped through the ceiling when she heard the frantic knocking on her door. She rushed downstairs to find Dahlia on the doorstep with tears glistening in her eyes.

"By Merlin, Dahlia. What happened?" Eris asked and pulled her into a tight embrace.

That was it. This was too much for Dahlia and she broke down sobbing. Eris tightened her embrace and the two friends stood there in each other's arms without a word spoken for several minutes. Then Eris guided Dahlia into her living room and fetched her friend a strong cup of coffee.

"Now, Dahlia. Tell me what happened. He hurt you didn't he? I warned you not to toy with Lucius Malfoy," Eris said as she sat down on the sofa next to her.

"No, no, Eris. That's not it. I argued with him after Madeira walked into the bathroom when he was taking a shower but he didn't hurt me," Dahlia assured her friend.

"Then what happened? I've hardly ever seen you cry, so something must have upset you," Eris asked.

"I had a row with my father. He said that I'm a disgrace to the family. Apparently, they know about the boyfriends I've had," Dahlia explained.

"Well, that's not the first time you've had a fight with him. Trust me Dahlia, you're not a disgrace to your family. You're a fine pureblood witch and a good friend. Raidon's behaviour and opinions about the Dark Lord are much worse," Eris said as she patted Dahlia, who was now smiling, on the arm.

"Raidon's own ideas about the Dark Lord are the reason he got banned and disinherited. Thank you Eris, you're a star," Dahlia said and hugged her friend again.

"I know, but you may repeat that just to remind me," Eris said.

Dahlia finally felt better and laughed heartily at her friend's joke. She had been able to vent her anger and felt safe with Eris around. They were equally strong when it came to magic but Eris was the more rational one and that's what Dahlia needed right now - a comforting friend, who listened to her and gave her good advice.

"Thanks Eris, you know how to cheer me up and for letting me stay here until the storm is over… again," Dahlia said.

"Hey silly, that's what friends are for. Speaking of friends, where's Madeira?" Eris asked.

"She's on a journey with her family. She tried her best to get out but couldn't. I guess she's not the rebel I am. Raidon is a good brother, I love him but he's crap when it comes to emotions," Dahlia said.

"You know my door is always open for you, Dahlia. What do you say we call it a day and get some sleep? It has been a long day for you and I can't imagine that you slept much last night. You can have the spare bedroom," Eris said.

"Thanks again, Eris, I really appreciate this," Dahlia said again and hugged her friend once more.

As soon as Dahlia crawled under the covers, she fell into a welcome sleep. The day had indeed been exhausting and the amount of emotions that had gone through her head today had left a slight throbbing pain in the back of her head.

The next day passed in total peace. Dahlia slept 'till noon and when she woke up, Eris took her out for an exquisite lunch. The rest of the day, they taught each other new spells or chatted about silly things - anything to keep Dahlia's mind from her problems. At the end of the day, they solved the mudblood problem, in theory. Maybe the wine they'd had helped a little.

A peaceful day ended and by the time Dahlia went to bed, she had forgotten most of her misery. She had only slept for two hours at the most, when she suddenly felt the mattress shift. Dahlia rolled over onto her back and soon found herself pinned down by something or someone.

She gasped when she felt something cool pressed against her face, something made out of metal. A soft breeze shifted the curtains and let a ray of moonlight fall on the features of her attacker. Lucius Malfoy. The metal she had felt was the snakehead of his cane. She could see the moonlight reflect on the fangs of the silver creature from the corner of her eye.

"If you make one move or sound that I don't like, you will suffer severely," he hissed.

She only nodded slightly, too afraid to provoke him. The she felt him move his body. The small stream of light wasn't enough to light the entire room so she couldn't see what he was doing.

Lucius swiftly pulled the cover from the bed and exposed her body. Dahlia was only clad in a light nightgown and she felt naked. He must have been staring at her because she didn't see or hear him. Then the mattress shifted again and she saw Lucius' form sitting on his knees.

His hand reached into his robes and he took out a small piece of cloth that he used to gag her. Then he grabbed her panties, ripped them away and pushed her legs wide open. With one fierce thrust, he was deep inside her. She wasn't ready for him and it felt like he was tearing her apart with every thrust.

She wanted to scream out her agony. Her voice echoed in the dark room. She was sitting up in her bed and while little beads of sweat stood all over her body, she was shivering. It had all been a nightmare.

****

"You can scream all you want, there's nobody who'll help you."

Dahlia gasped and pulled the sheets up to cover herself. It was him. Lucius Malfoy was somewhere in this room but she couldn't see him in the dark.

"What about Eris? What have you done to her? You fucking bastard!" she screamed out into the darkness.

He couldn't have been far away because she suddenly felt his hand grabbing her arm in a painful grasp.

"Many have said that to me before but none of them survived to tell," he hissed in her ear.

Dahlia cursed to herself that she hadn't taken out her wand at the sound of his voice. She knew she had gone too far and she already feared the retribution that would follow. Lucius dragged her out of the bed and into the living room.

He twisted her arm behind her back at such an angle that she was forced down on her knees from the pain it caused. He released her arm but instead, wound his fingers in her hair and pulled her head back so that she was forced to look up at him. In immediate reflex, her hands flew up to his wrist and she dug her nails into his skin.

He threw her head forward with such force that she had to place both hands on the floor so as not to bang her head onto it.

She screamed out in agony when Lucius placed his heel on the fingers of her left hand. He removed his foot, grabbed her hair again and jerked her head upwards, forcing her to meet his cold eyes.

"I do not know if you realize it Dahlia, but you are in no position to harm me. Do you understand?" Lucius hissed in her ear.

"Yes," she answered with a quavering voice.

He pulled her up by her hair and backed her up against the wall. He used his full body weight to pin her there. His lips brushed against hers for a mere second. She wanted to turn her head away but he cupped her face and forced her to look at him.

"You have such a lovely body, Dahlia. It would be a shame to ravage it," he sneered.

His hand left her face, travelled over her breast where it lingered for a few seconds before it went down and cupped her sex. He slowly caressed her sensitive flesh through the fabric of her panties but then abruptly removed his hand.

"Rape is such a brutal tactic but it can be so efficient. I simply don't want to dirty myself with you, now that I know where you've been," he sneered before adding, "Who'd have thought? You're as common as a muggle whore."

That didn't mean it ended for her. He moved his face closer to hers but bent his head to her neck. He repeated what he'd done just a night ago and sharply inhaled her scent. Dahlia looked into the room over his shoulder and suddenly saw Eris' body lying on the floor. Her eyes widened and she gasped loudly.

Because of her reaction, Lucius brought his head back up and looked into her eyes. She felt a shiver pass over her spine when she saw a grin on his face.

"Don't worry, Dahlia. Your precious friend over there isn't dead. She's merely immobilised and unconscious. I never realized I was so terrifying that one might actually faint at the sight of me," he smirked.

In reply, Dahlia spit into his face. She realized that she might not survive – first for her insult and now this - but she was too furious to think before she acted. His eyes narrowed as he raised his hand and smacked Dahlia on her cheek with his flat palm. He hit her with such force that she fell onto her knees.

She carefully touched her cheek and felt something wet. Her blood. She looked at the hand that had hit her and saw his wedding ring. It was made out of pure gold and she saw that it was two intertwined snakes.

Lucius strode over to where she sat and crouched down at her side.

"Nice ring, don't you agree? It's not only a symbol of my marriage but it can be rather useful as well," Lucius said.

Dahlia couldn't think of more then one symbol or use for a wedding ring. The questioning look on her face made him chuckle.

"When the two snakes make contact with any other flesh than that of a Malfoy or a Black, it will release a small dose of poison. Those disgusting Muggles cannot trace it but it will break down on its own accord as soon as I leave the premises. Hence Aurors nor any other wizards will know what happened," Lucius explained.

"What are the effects then?" Dahlia inquired in a whisper.

"You will not die so you'll soon find out. Let's play a little game and if you can tell me what the poison does, you win. Fun, don't you agree?" Lucius smirked.

When Dahlia didn't reply at once, he grabbed her by the throat and raised her to her feet. Her hands flew up to his wrists again but stopped just in time when she remembered the consequences. The still throbbing pain in her fingers reminded her of the mistake she made earlier.

"You still don't seem to understand with whom you're dealing. I thought Darius would have taught you that much," Lucius hissed.

He lifter her higher until her feet hovered five inches above the floor. Then he suddenly released his grip so she collapsed painfully onto the floor. Dahlia desperately gasped for air as she tried to sit up.

"Now, let's find out if your friend here would like to join this little game," Lucius said as he strode toward Eris' unconscious body.


	7. Chapter 7

Lucius used a spell that woke Eris up. She yelped when she saw him standing in front of her and acted rather confused. She didn't know what this was all about. She remembered hearing someone entering the room but she never got to see her attacker before she fell unconscious on the floor.

"I don't want to hear one word from you. Understood?" Lucius hissed at her.

Eris softly nodded in reply. Her eyes quickly flashed around the room as if looking for something or someone.

"Your little friend there seems to like playing games with other people. Let's see if she'll enjoy this as well," Lucius smirked.

"Get up, Dahlia!" Lucius roared turning towards where she was sitting on the floor. "I want you to enjoy all of this."

Moving very slowly, Dahlia stood up, shivering out of fear for what exactly it was that he wanted her to 'enjoy'. Different scenarios crossed her mind. Would he rape her like in her nightmare? Would he rape Eris? Or both? Was he going to kill them? After starring at her own bare feet for a few seconds while these thoughts played in her head, she looked up and met his cold eyes.

A menacing grin appeared on his lips as he raised his wand and cast the Cruciatus curse on Eris. Dahlia wanted to shout something as Eris' cries of pain echoed through the entire apartment. Anything would do just to make him stop. Just when she was about to open her mouth, she felt the curse flowing through her own body and fell down onto the floor. She writhed and screamed out in pain for what seemed to be an eternity although she never saw him cursing her.

She couldn't hear Eris' screams anymore and saw Lucius' feet next to her face. Dahlia was still in extreme agony but soon felt the spell leaving her body in the same mysterious way that it had entered.

"A marvellous poison don't you agree?" he smirked as he mockingly looked at his wedding ring.

"What are the effects?" she asked him again in a soft whisper.

"Now now, Dahlia, haven't I told you that you ought to find out for yourself?" he replied.

"Yes, Lucius," Dahlia whispered.

She only stared at his shoes. She simply couldn't stand to look into his eyes anymore. They had been so beautiful and intriguing a few nights ago but now she feared them. His gaze was so cold and filled with hatred, yet she still wasn't sure why he was doing this. He couldn't have found out about the bet, could he? And would he torture her just for that? And why involve Eris in this; she had nothing to do with it.

Lucius' voice stopped her train of thought. She realized that she hadn't spoken or moved for over a minute. A short period of time in a person's lifetime but painfully long surrounded by awkward silence like this and certainly with Lucius Malfoy staring down on her.

"Well, it seems you still haven't figured it out. You obviously need another lessen," he smirked.

Dahlia saw by the movement of his feet that he had turned around. She heard him casting the Crucio curse again but just like before, she didn't feel its effects immediately. Then she heard Eris screaming again with the little strength she had left. The curse was slowly draining the life out of Eris and Dahlia knew that too. Her parents were loyal followers of the Dark Lord so she had seen and learned a lot about the Dark Arts.

Then the curse hit her again. The pain flowed through her body as if someone had injected an ice-cold fluid in her veins. Every inch of her body ached terribly. Her own voice was growing hoarse as she screamed out her agony.

The pain left again but only to make place for a new feeling, nausea. As fast as her sore body allowed, she sat up and threw up everything that hadn't been digested yet. A new shock of horror and fear rushed through her when she saw that she hadn't thrown up on the floor but on Lucius' black leather boots.

Dahlia heard him hiss and swear under his breath as he kicked her in the stomach with such force that she couldn't breathe for several seconds. She fell onto her side and coughed as she clutched her belly. Tears shed in silence rolled over her cheeks.

Suddenly, Lucius strode out of the room and into the bathroom. Dahlia assumed that he left to clean his boots and took the advantage of his absence to sit up on her knees and try to see Eris. She was unconscious again. Dahlia was happy that she was still alive as she saw her friend's chest fall and rise, even if it was slowly.

"Your friend won't be able to bear much more. She's losing this game," Lucius said.

"Why are you doing this?" Dahlia asked.

She now assumed that it was all about the bet although she still hadn't figured out how he could've found out.

"You really have no idea, do you?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Dahlia only shook her head in reply. She could've told about the bet but if that was not the reason, she would be in much more trouble - if that was even possible now.

"It seems that beside your lusts, you can't control your temper or your voice. Poor Darius' honour was shattered when he heard that I took you to heaven and back - twice. Oh, I don't think I've thanked you for the nice compliment on my arse," he sneered.

Dahlia's eyes widened when she heard Lucius repeating the exact same words she had spit at her father. She now wished that she had kept her voice down and if she had been able to control her anger, then she wouldn't have told her father so much.

"How did you find out?" She finally asked the question that had troubled her mind all night.

"I was waiting for Darius in a drawing room for a meeting, and it just so happened that you chose to have your row outside that room. You brought yourself into this. Now I want to hear the entire story and I recommend you to tell the truth. Unless you want more of this game of course," he smirked.

Dahlia shook her head and began to reveal everything. She knew that if she wouldn't, he could force her to drink Veritaserum or kill Eris to make her tell the truth. By the time she finished the story, she looked up in his eyes and saw his hatred and fury flare up again.

"I'm sorry, Lucius. I thought you'd never find out that it was all a bet," Dahlia whispered.

Without saying a word, he walked around her and kicked her so hard in the back that she fell over on her face. He placed his boot between her shoulders, pinning her down on the floor.

"You should've thought about that before you fucked with a Malfoy," he hissed.

She then heard him casting the Crucio curse for the third time but just like before, it took a few seconds before she felt the pain again. This time, it was even harder to bear the pain since she couldn't move freely. The ability to move didn't take away the pain, but being pinned down like this wasn't much of an improvement either.

When he lifted the curse, she heard him chuckle so coldly that it even made it all worse. When she at last stopped screaming hoarsely, he removed his boot and she vomited again. Only this time, it was all blood. Her body was being destroyed from the inside out.

Lucius rolled her over with his boot and crouched down next to her. He removed a few strains of hair in her face with the tip of his wand.

"So, have you already figured out what the poison does?" he asked.

Dahlia kept silent for a short time. Mainly to give her body time to recover from the last curse but to ponder his question as well. Then she sat up straight to answer him face-to-face.

"Every time you curse Eris, it reflects upon me so I feel the same effects," she concluded.

"Yes, but there's more. If anyone tries to curse me or one of my family members within one mile of myself, you will endure those effects as well. I am the only one able to lift its consequences from you. Therefore, if someone would attempt to kill me by using the Avada Kedavra curse, you will die too since I can't stop it. In case someone uses Crucio on me, you'll feel it too until I am able or willing to lift it. Interesting, don't you agree?" he smirked.

"What are you going to do now? Kill us?" Dahlia asked.

"Alas, I cannot kill you, Dahlia. Your family is far too important to the Dark Lord and I don't think that Darius would like it if I were to kill you. Besides, this is much more fun. Wherever you go, I could show up and you'll never know what I'll be up to," he mocked.

"Why did you punish Eris as well? She had nothing to do with this. She didn't even like the idea to begin with," Dahlia said.

"Let's just say that she happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong moment. She simply was very useful for me," Lucius said rather matter-of-factly.

He stood up and straightened his robes as he continued talking.

"You probably don't realize it Dahlia, but you've just proven once more what a powerful family you're from. They probably wouldn't be able to overpower me but you have obviously inherited the strong body of the Rohart family. Your friend on the other hand was less fortunate. She's dead."


	8. Chapter 8

Dahlia sat down against the wall, hugging her knees and starring blankly at the tips of his boots. She refused to believe what he had just said. Eris couldn't be dead. The effects of the poison made her feel the curses as well and Eris wasn't weak. On the contrary, she was a strong person who knew what she wanted. Dahlia suddenly realized that she had been staring all this time so she snapped back and asked Lucius what she couldn't figure out.

"Why Eris? How come I'm not dead if the curses reflected on me as well?" she asked.

"Being a Death Eater for many years, I easily know who has a weak body or mind. I saw that Eris wasn't any stronger than a worthless Muggle. She had a strong mind but as you surely know, you can't fight the Cruciatus curse using mere willpower. As for you, Dahlia, you have a strong mind in a strong body. Perhaps you're better off without that weakling as a friend," Lucius sneered.

With newfound strength and outrage at his calling her friend a weakling, Dahlia jumped up. She trembled with anger and once more couldn't control herself.

"You sadistic piece of shit!" she shouted as she lunged for him. She tried to beat his chest, beat his stomach or kick him in the groin - anything to hurt him. However, before she could hit him, he drew his wand and with a wave, he smacked her back against the wall with such force that all the air was knocked out of her chest.

Lucius pulled her to her feet by the wrist but then twitched her arm behind her back. Dahlia hissed from the pain and nearly dropped to her knees again. The fact that Lucius was taller than she, was the only reason she was still standing up straight.

He suddenly stepped forward so that she was stuck between the wall and his body.

"So how are you enjoying your birthday present now, Dahlia? Am I still the best fuck you've ever had?" he hissed in her ear.

Dahlia closed her eyes and swallowed before she nodded and whispered, "Yes." If only it wasn't the powerful and dangerous wizard behind her, she would give him a proper reply. Her insults already gotten her knee deep into this mess so she only yelled at him inside her head.

"Of course, I'm rather good but you surely must have had others than just boys? I hope you've never screwed one of those mudbloods, have you?" he sneered.

When she didn't reply immediately, he twisted her hand up higher so she screamed out her answer to him. "Yes! Yes, Lucius, I've had sex with mudbloods!"

"By Merlin, you're even more repulsive than I thought! Well at least I've taught you a proper lesson you hopefully won't forget," he hissed.

Dahlia would've loved to kick him there where it hurts the most but his power and her common sense prevented from doing so. Inwardly, she had condemned him to a Muggle prison with a mad, cackling Muggle woman for a cellmate. In reality however, every muscle was sore, her head and hand were still throbbing and her arm felt like it would tear off any moment.

"If I ever find out that you've slept with someone that isn't a pureblood again, we'll proceed with our fun game. Say Dahlia, how many friends do you have left?" he smirked.

He let go of her arm and turned her around with her back against the wall. He suddenly grabbed her throat and shoved her up so high that her feet dangled a few inches above the ground. Her hands went up to his wrists but he neglected her feeble attempts to get free.

"One last thing before I go. My son, Draco is growing up to be a very nice looking man just like his father. If you ever play some sort of game with him or even try to seduce him, I will kill you. Is that clear enough for you, disgusting slut?" he spat at her.

Due to the lack of air, Dahlia could only nod. He let her go so abruptly that she fell to the floor again. She looked up into his cold eyes one last time before she passed out.

When Dahlia woke up, a man was sitting at her feet. Her head was throbbing so painfully that it was difficult to focus on his features but she recognized her brother.

"Raidon?" she asked.

"Dahlia! You finally regained consciousness," he asked as he embraced his little sister.

"How did I get here on the couch?" Dahlia asked. She was still a little confused after what Lucius had done to her.

"I found you on the ground so I picked you up and lay you down here. Your skin was a bit blue and you felt so cold that I've put a blanket over you. Now tell me, what happened here?" he asked.

"By Merlin, Raidon, so many things happened. I don't know where to start," Dahlia sighed.

At that moment, the door burst open and Darius stormed in. Dahlia released her brother and cast a quizzical and frightened look at him.

"Dahlia, this was the only thing I could do. I found Eris dead and you were unconscious, only clad in a nightgown and full of bruises and blood," Raidon explained.

She sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she slowly told what had happened - every single word of it. By the time she was finished, a few tears rolled over her cheeks. The entire time, her father stood behind her but he now moved in front of her so he could face her.

"I hope you've learned your lesson now," he said.

"What! Is that all you have to say?" Dahlia asked.

She couldn't believe that her father acted so cool about all of this. He probably had a heart carved out of ice but she thought he'd show more sympathy for her.

"Well, what do you want me to say? Congratulations because that chair possesses more brain cells than you do?" he sneered.

"Father, please! This is your daughter here. She has just been tortured by Lucius Malfoy! She had to watch her friend die!" her brother intervened.

"First of all, Raidon, this is none of your business. Second, it's all her fault. I'm surprised she's still alive. Your little sister there is the one who fucked Malfoy, not me. She played with matches and got burned," Darius hissed at his son.

"So, that's it then? You're not going to hex that arrogant bastard who nearly killed your daughter. Are you such a coward father? Ah yes, Lucius has you eating out of his hand and you'll lick Voldemort's boots if he tells you to!" Raidon sneered back.

The next second, Raidon was starring at the tip of his father's wand.

"If I had known that my offspring would be like this, I wouldn't have even considered children in the first place. You'll only get away with this because your mother loves you so much but I never want to see either of you again or I will curse both of you," Darius spat through gritted teeth.

With a dramatic sweep of his robes, he turned around and left the apartment. Dahlia stepped up behind her brother and placed her hand on his shoulder. She could feel that he was shaking out of pure anger. He turned around and pulled Dahlia in a tight embrace. She had barely moved or said a word the entire time but she was too exhausted to get involved in the fight.

"I think it's better that we leave. I contacted Eris' family before you woke up so they will take care of her," Raidon said.

Dahlia nodded and she prepared to leave the apartment. With one last glance over her shoulder, she pulled the door shut.

A few moments later, they apperated on the sidewalk opposite Raidon's house. He guided her inside and showed her to the bathroom where she could refresh herself.

After a long warm shower, she rejoined her brother in the living room. He had prepared some soup and they spent several hours talking. Dahlia gratefully felt the soup warming her body from within just like the flames in the fireplace radiated on her skin.

"I think it's about time we get some sleep. You've been through a lot and your body needs to recover. I suggest you take a potion I've prepared while you were in the shower. It'll make you sleep comfortably," Raidon said as he handed his sister a vial.

"Thanks Raidon," Dahlia said as she drank the potion. She played with the tiny bottle, than faced him, "would you stay with me tonight? I'd feel safe knowing that you're with me."

"Of course I will," he replied reassuringly.

Raidon guided Dahlia upstairs and lay down in his bed at her side. He wrapped his arms around her in a protective embrace.

When Dahlia woke up the next morning, she found the bed empty. The entire house was empty but she found a scroll of parchment on the kitchen table. She opened the scroll and read the letter her brother had left.

_My dear sister,_

_I cannot live with the thought of just sitting around while that arrogant bastard gets away with the things he did to you. I may not be as powerful as he is but I hope I can cause some severe damage. I shall do my best to defend your honour._

_With love,_

_Raidon_


	9. Chapter 9

Lucius was standing in the backyard of Malfoy Mansion with a glass of white wine in his hand. He was gazing at the sleeping swans in the lake that lay before him. A grin spread on his face before he drained the remaining contents of the crystal glass.

"My, my Mister Rohart, do you realize you're trespassing and that I'm allowed to curse you when you're on my property?" he asked.

He swiftly withdrew his wand from the cane, turned on his heel and faced Raidon. Lucius wasn't much taller than Raidon who stood before his sister's attacker with his wand at the ready.

"Might I inquire why you're threatening me, Mister Rohart?" Lucius smirked.

Instead of giving a proper answer, Raidon shouted "Expelliarmus" sending Lucius flying back across the grass for a few feet. He landed hard on his back but still held his wand. He stood up and walked back to where Raidon stood and closed the distance between them.

"Mister Rohart, I would appreciate it if you would answer my question instead of attacking me," Lucius said, keeping his voice steady.

Raidon lifted his wand again and cast a petrifying spell at Lucius but he blocked it easily. Raidon's growing rage kept him from thinking logically and acting fast.

"Were you this polite when you cursed my sister, mister Malfoy?" he spat out his name in disgust.

"Oh good, you do talk. Mister Rohart, the nature of the relationship between Miss Rohart and myself is none of your business," Lucius answered.

Raidon lowered his head as if he was defeated. He suddenly raised his wand and shouted "Crucio." The spell hit Lucius by surprise and he fell to his knees in agony. Raidon raised his wand again to stop the torture - at least, for now.

"Dahlia is my sister and I look after her. You've tortured, insulted her and treated her like one of your house-elves. Now it's your turn to twist in agony like a serpent, you fucking son of a bitch," Raidon hissed.

Panting slightly, Lucius stood up and straightened his robes.

"You obviously have the same charming vocabulary as your sister," Lucius sneered.

"Shut up! I will make you pay for what you did to her and Eris," Raidon hissed through gritted teeth.

"Isn't this just wonderful? Big brother comes to threaten me on my own territory. You must be very brave or very foolish to do that. Your father must have told you that I'm rather powerful. He, on the other hand, told me that you aren't. If I were you, I'd leave now while you still can," Lucius said threateningly.

Raidon swiftly raised his wand and shouted "Impedimenta" before Lucius could react. He was thrown several feet back again and was slammed into a tree. He hissed in pain and touched the back of his head. As he looked at his fingers, he saw some blood from his impact against the hard wood of the tree.

"I don't think Darius will be too happy when he hears about this," Lucius hissed as he stood up again.

"Tell that man whatever you want Lucius. I don't care and I'm sure he doesn't care either. He wouldn't even curse you if you killed his entire family and took his wife in front of him. At least I'll stand up to revenge what you've done to Dahlia," Raidon said.

"How beautiful," Lucius grinned as he applauded mockingly. "What a great influence I am, don't you think? Now, are you going to stand there feeling sorry for yourself or are you going to attempt to fight me like you've threatened to do? I have a few important raids to see to so I don't have all night."

Raidon lifted his wand again, ready to curse him but Lucius was faster and hexed Raidon with the Cruciatus spell. He fell onto his knees and clutched his head. The pain soared through Raidon's entire body. He fought not to scream it out but couldn't take the pain any longer. Like a wolf, he raised his head towards the moon and shouted his lungs out. All of a sudden, the agony stopped. Raidon opened his eyes again and saw Lucius standing a mere few feet away from where he sat, a cold, cruel grin on his face.

"You enjoy this, don't you," Raidon breathed as he slowly stood up again.

"I'd be an awful Death Eater if I didn't. Since you're so noble to stand up for Dahlia, I assumed you wouldn't mind sharing the pain she had," Lucius sneered.

"What did you do to my sister then? She told me parts of it but not everything," Raidon said.

"Trust me boy, ignorance is bliss and as I've told you before, this is none of your business. Now, are you going to leave while you still can or do you need a lesson?" Lucius said.

Raidon didn't move or answer Lucius' question. The two men kept on staring at each other, their eyes locked in an intent gaze. All of a sudden, Raidon raised his wand and shouted 'legilimens.' Lucius was fast enough to block of the spell and countered it with the 'impedimenta' curse. Raidon was blasted off his feet and hit his head on a rock when he landed on his back. It took him some time before he got back to his feet.

"Look Mister Rohart, I think you'd better ask Dahlia how all of this started instead of trying to read my mind. I'm sure she'll happily explain that she approached me that night in the Three Broomsticks. She invited me to join her birthday celebrations not vice versa. By the way, where were you that night, Brother?" Lucius sneered.

"Well, mister Malfoy, that's none…"

Before Raidon could finish his sentence, Lucius had hit him with another 'Cruciatus' curse. He fell onto the grass again, twitching and screaming in pain until Lucius lifted the curse.

"That's for trying to intrude on my head, mister Rohart," Lucius said.

"So you've got a reason every time you curse someone?" Raidon panted as he slowly tried to get up again.

"For most of them, yes, I have a proper reason," Lucius stated matter-of-factly.

"Are you going to spare my life as you've done with Dahlia in order to keep your business relationship with my father?" Raidon asked.

"Good question, Mister Rohart. I might, yet on the other hand, you're the one who came to fight me. This could be considered a case of self-defence," Lucius sneered.

"You should've become a lawyer, Mister Malfoy. You possess the same polite qualities to talk yourself out of things," Raidon smirked.

"I indeed have many charming qualities and I'll happily demonstrated one of my favourites," Lucius said as he hexed Raidon again.

Raidon fell onto the ground again and immediately screamed out as the magic's blue flames licked his entire body. He rolled over the ground in a failed attempt to put out his burning robes but without any luck. Raidon tried to ignore the burning pain and focused on how to extinguish himself. Then all of a sudden, the burning stopped. As he stopped screaming, he could've sworn he had heard another voice. Raidon slowly turned his head and saw a young boy walking back to the mansion.

"What's wrong Mister Malfoy? Can't your son bear to see what his father does in his spare time?" Raidon asked from where he was lying on the grass.

Before he could've done anything, Lucius was crouched down by his side, one knee pressing on Raidon's shoulder and Lucius' wand shoved into his mouth.

"Do not speak ill of my heir again or I will feed you to a Thestral," Lucius hissed through gritted teeth.

Raidon again didn't reply but stared at the sky over Lucius' head. The latter, removed the wand from the boy's mouth but still stared menacingly at him. With his free hand, Raidon fumbled in his robes. He took out a small knife, stabbed Lucius in his upper thigh and twisted the blade.


	10. Chapter 10

Lucius' hands clutched the wound immediately. Raidon took advantage of the situation and pushed the other wizard off him. As fast as his sore body could muster, he got back to his feet. He pointed his wand at Lucius again, with the hope of giving him the final blow, but was rather surprised to see that he was already standing up again. Since the knife was still stuck in his leg, Lucius shifted his weight to his other leg and still held his wand out, ready to curse Raidon as if nothing had happened.

"Using Muggle weapons in a wizarding duel?" Lucius said as he pulled the knife from his leg with a sickening noise. He looked at the blooded blade as he let it twist and turn between his fingers before he tossed it into the lake. "You disappoint me Mister Rohart. I thought there was still hope for you but you've really fallen low, Muggle-lover."

Lucius raised his wand for the final blow and had already muttered the word 'Avada', when a female voice suddenly roared across the lawn.

"NO! Don't!"

Lucius instead cast the Stupefy spell to knock Raidon unconscious. He turned on his heel towards the voice and summoned his cane to support his leg as he walked towards the place where Narcissa stood.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you're doing Narcissa? You know I do not tolerate your meddling with my affairs," Lucius hissed.

"And I will not tolerate you killing Raidon. Murdering those disgusting Muggles and Mudbloods is one thing but doing so to the son of one the Dark Lord's followers is wrong Lucius. Even after what happened between Dahlia and you," Narcissa stated.

"What?!" Lucius hissed, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Ariana told me about the row between Darius and Dahlia. A wizard with a tattoo just above his perfect arse? Come on Lucius, I'm your wife. Do you really expect that I wouldn't have found out sooner or later?" Narcissa said.

"It still is nothing of your concern, no matter how much you claim to know. I shall deal with my affairs as I wish," Lucius hissed.

"Very well, I know I cannot withstand you but," Narcissa closed the gap between her and Lucius. "If you dare to kill him, you shall regret it and you know very well that I'm capable enough," Narcissa hissed.

With a few steps, Lucius pushed Narcissa back against the wall. "And I believe you know very well that I don't respond so well to threats…precious," Lucius spat at her. He exhaled noisily through his nostrils, released Narcissa and walked towards the mansion.

Once inside, he ordered a few house-elves to collect Raidon's body and fetch some potions. He continued towards the library where he sat down in one of the armchairs by the fireplace. A few minutes later, the first house-elf returned with the potions and brought his master a glass of fire-whiskey as ordered. Lucius made the hole in his trousers bigger and poured some of the coloured contents from the vials over the wound which healed magically.

Then the doors burst open and four other house-elves stumbled in, dragging Raidon's body as best as they could. Lucius stood up, walked towards the fireplace and threw a hand full of Floo powder into the fire. He then walked towards Raidon's body and poured the fluid of the last little bottle over the boy. In an instant, he was covered with vicious bleeding scratches as though he had been attacked by a puma. With a simple incantation, he lifted Raidon up and literally threw him into the green flames.

With a satisfied grin on his face, he took a few steps back and dropped himself into a chair. He took his glass of fire-whiskey and was about to take a first sip when he turned his head towards the still open doors. Narcissa was gazing intensely at him, then turned on her heel and strode away.

* * *

Dahlia was sleeping on the sofa in Raidon's apartment. After she had read his letter, she had settled herself there and literally cried herself to sleep. There wasn't much she could do for her brother. Their parents would never stand up against Lucius so they were on their own.

She sat up bolt right when a cloud of dust and soot roared into the room. Because she couldn't see who or what had just arrived, she pointed her wand in the direction of the fireplace. When the dirt finally cleared away, Dahlia gasped as she saw her brother lying on the rug, unconscious - his face and body covered in blood from the scratches.

Dahlia gathered her brother in her arms as best as she could and placed him on the sofa. Her mind was racing like mad now but she couldn't think of a proper solution. There was no doubt that Lucius had done this.

She couldn't contact the Ministry of Magic. In the end, he had only protected his family and property. Contacting her father would only get her deeper into the mess. Eris would've come up with something…

The only person she could think of now was her mother. Ariana had never openly fought one of her children. It was a small chance she'd be willing to help but one Dahlia had to grab with both hands.

Dahlia ran into Raidon's study, took quill and ink and quickly scribbled a note on a small piece of parchment. She magically sealed the scroll, walked towards the window where the cage of a magnificent grey eagle owl stood and gave him the message.

"It's very important Ares, fly as fast as you can," Dahlia said as she drew her hand over its head.

The owl bowed his head and disappeared out the open window. Dahlia went to the bathroom and got a few of the potions from the shelf above the sink, a bowl of water and washcloths. Although Dahlia had always been interested in the art of potion making, she was far too nervous now and didn't want to take any risks on her weak brother.

Dahlia stripped her brother's upper body and started to clean of the dirt and dried blood. As she turned him over to wash his back, she gasped. The dozens of scratches that criss-crossed his back suddenly began to move. First they formed an exact copy of the tattooed intertwined snakes on Malfoy's lower back, then moved again and made the letters 'LM' before they returned to their original position.

A soft knocking woke Dahlia from her intense gazing. She quickly grabbed her wand and stood behind the door. She kept silent and the person on the other side finally spoke.

"Dahlia? Are you there?"

As soon as she recognized her mother's voice, she opened the door. She saw the friendly face of the woman she had always relied on and began to tell everything that happened but Ariana stopped her daughter's train of words by pulling her into her arms.

"You don't need to tell me what happened. I know most of it so don't torture yourself by reliving it over and over. The things your father didn't tell me have I heard from Narcissa," Ariana said.

"Do you have contact with the wife of that…that…" Dahlia stammered as she released her mother to look directly into her eyes.

"Yes Dahlia, but that doesn't mean that I or she approves of what Lucius did to you. In fact, if it hadn't been for Narcissa, Raidon would be dead by now. Speaking of which, let me take a look at him," Ariana said as she walked towards the sofa.

Ariana studied her son for a while but shook her head.

"Are you strong enough to Apperate, Dahlia? Good, because we'll have to take him to St. Mungo's. Lucius mixed a few potions and it would take me too long before I'd be able to determine what he used and to brew the proper antidote," Ariana explained.

Dahlia sat in a chair at the end of Raidon's bed. The medi-witch had just passed by to ask if she needed anything but she had politely refused. Her mother had already left in order not to upset Darius any further. Raidon was magically kept asleep since he was in for a painful ride.

She had nearly dozed off again when she suddenly heard someone coming closer. The curtains around the bed were closed so she couldn't see who it was but then heard a familiar voice calling her name. Dahlia opened the curtains and flung herself around Madeira's neck.

Madeira took a chair and started to tell how she had found her. As soon as she had returned, Eris' parents had contacted her and she in turn had contacted Ariana. Dahlia filled in the gaps for Madeira and as soon as the latter new everything, she insisted that her friend should consult a medi-witch herself.

Madeira's words had just been spoken whey they heard footsteps again and saw the shadow of someone tall approaching. Assuming that it was a medi-witch or a healer, Madeira joked, "Speaking of the devil."

The person stopped by the curtains and Dahlia started to shiver when she suddenly recognized the shape of the man. He drew the curtains open and sneered, "That's one way to put it…"

THE END!!!!!!


End file.
